Accused Admits Attack On Elderly Couple

Press, Volume C, Issue 29454, 4 March 1961, Page 9

Accused Admits Attack On Elderly Couple

(hew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. March 3. Admitting that he had slept in the Mulgan's house most of the night after finding the dOor unlocked. Walter Patrick Te Hemara. aged 29, of Tinakori road, Wellington, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington today to assaulting Alan Edward Mulgan, aged 79. and Marguerite ’Cornfield Mulgan, aged 32. in their York Bay home at about 5 a.m. on February 24. He was remanded by Mr J R. Drummond, S.M., until Mirch 9 for sentence. te Hamara was arrested in Wellington late yesterday afternoon after a week’s intensive search. Senior Detective-Sergeant D. J- Dwan in a statement read to the Court, said Mulgan’s fa«e was battered so much it was unrecognisable, and Mrs Mfilgan's face was battered and covered with blood. _ Mulgan had suffered a broken nose, two broken cheekbones and suffered from shock Mrs Mulgan had suffered" a broken jaw and severe brhising.

Mr Dwan described it as a vicious and brutal assault on the elderly couple which could h#ve caused the death of either one or the other.

The accused, he said, had a formidable list of previous convictions, 18 in aIL When arrested Te Hemara confessed that he had taken a car in Wellington on the night of February 23. He drove the car to Lower Hutt and then to York Bay where the car stalled, and he could not start it again. He pushed the car and ran into a wall. He found the last bus to Wellington had gone.

He walked up a driveway and tried the back door of the Mulgans’ home and, finding it unlocked, entered and went into the lounge where he intended to stay until early -morning. He took off his suit coat and went to sleep on the sofa. He thought he would wake up and leave before the occupants roused. After sleeping for a few hours the accused told the detectives he awoke and found himself in a strange condition. He walked into a room and noticed a woman asleep in a bed. The woman stirred. He lay on the floor to avoid detection. The woman took a torch from the dresser and shone the torch, but appar-

ently did not detect the presence of Te Hemara.

But when she put her feet out of bed on to. He Hemara he thought he would have to either pull the blankets over her head or "shut her up.” Te Hemara stood up and hit her face with his fist. Mrs Mulgan screamed for her husband and the accused kept hitting her to keep her quiet. He said he lost control of himself.

The accused then heard a man calling out from the next bedroom. He ran into the next room and found Mulgan. Mulgan yelled and the accused hit him. Mulgan fell back on to the bed and the accused kept hitting him to keep him quiet The accused then heard Mrs Mulgan again in her room and, finding her near the bedroom door, he hit her on the jaw and she fell to the floor. He kept hitting her whilst she was on the floor.

Mulgan was again yelling, so the accused returned to the bedroom and hit him until re stopped calling out. Te Hemara told the detectives that he then went into the bathroom and washed his blood-stained hands and dried them. He saw the condition of Mulgan’s face and brought a wet towel' with which he wiped some of the blood.

Te Hemara said he picked up Mrs Mulgan, put her to bed, and made her comfortable.

He thought he should stay and do what he could, and assisted Mrs Mulgan to telephone through to her local doctor. He spoke to the doctor, and told him he was a neighbour.